I met baby Esther when she was just six weeks old. I hung out with her and her parents Emily and Lee on a cold, rainy December afternoon. Esther was the perfect model and tolerated all the wardrobe changes and poses very well!

Meet baby Elizabeth- six weeks old! She was a fantastic model and tolerated multiple wardrobe changes. She was so chill that she fell asleep mid-photo shoot. Check out some of my favorite photos from the session!

Last weekend, I met the L. family at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, Virginia for a photo shoot. Deb's daughter Lucy is just two days older than my daughter Stella, and I've had the lucky opportunity to photograph Deb and her family for several years now. This time, we captured some touching family shots before the next baby arrives in December! I love the L. family and I can't wait to meet the newest member!

I met the W. family at Rock Creek Park a few weeks ago for an autumn portrait session. Mom, Dad and the four kids had a great time playing in the creek and on the rocks. Here are a few of my favorite shots from the day!

Erin and Tai were married in the spring in a small, private ceremony. A few weeks ago they celebrated with extended family and friends with a big reception in Winchester, Virginia. I drove out to capture the day in photos for them. This was my first time in Winchester and it was beautiful!

Tai is from Fiji, and he and his family prepared a traditional dish of meat, fish and vegetables cooked underground for several hours...yum. Things got really interesting later in the evening when his friends and family took off their shirts and started performing traditional warrior chants from Fiji, Hawaii, New Zealand. It was awesome!

It was a beautiful day with amazing food, music and dancing. Congrats, Erin and Tai!

I met Greg and Caroline at the National Arboretum last weekend to take engagement photos. It was the perfect spring day. We may have missed the cherry blossoms this year, but the park was gorgeous and everything was in bloom. I strategically placed us to avoid shots with the throngs of tourists who also thought it was the perfect spring day-man oh man was that place crowded. We enjoyed columns and gardens until the security guards kicked us out at closing time, then we headed to the Capitol Building. The second location was sentimental because Greg proposed to Caroline at the Capitol building, and then whisked her away to Paris to celebrate. Tres romantique, non?

Baby Abby was born to my good friends Maggie and Chris on January 27. Abby was a dream model-at just two weeks old, she tolerated wardrobe changes, hats and hair bows, and hanging out in wicker baskets. I am in love with this baby.

I especially love Abby's hair--it's brown hair with natural blonde highlights/frosted tips. Maggie said it's like her hair started out blonde and then suddenly switched to brown. Absolutely amazing--people pay big bucks for highlights like this!

I spent Saturday morning with the Ferraras! Baby Isaac is five months old and so cute, with a big bald head and big 'ole eyes. Isabella is two and full of sass and personality. I've photographed the Ferraras severaltimesbefore. The kids just keep getting cuter and cuter.

I spent last Saturday romping around a park with Michaela and Atlas. Michaela is a good friend from grad school, and Atlas is her fluffy, gentle Goldendoodle. It was almost more difficult to get Atlas to look at the camera than it is to get a toddler to look at the camera. Atlas was too smart to fall for my ploys, like asking him if there is squirrel on my head. I had to resort to meowing like a cat and shaking boxes of treats to get him to look at me. Michaela was much easier to work with-I only had to bribe her with promises of Chinese hot pot and beer after the photo shoot.

It's only October, but it's not too early to think about Christmas cards.

If you plan to print a photo card for the holidays, you need to start the process now! Get your photos taken in November, have your cards printed later in the month or early December, and have them signed, addressed and delivered so that you're not writing out Christmas cards on Christmas Eve, while the rest of your family is having a hot toddy in front of the fireplace. (This has never happened to me, ahem, cough cough.) Not sure that you want to lug your kids out to the mall on a Saturday for a formal shoot at a portrait studio? Let me help you.

For $100, I will come to a location of your choice (D.C. metro area) and spend about 30 minutes with you to create the ultimate holiday card shot. You'll get approximately 6 hand-edited photos (but probably more), the high-resolution files with full copyright release to use at any photo printer, and 1 8x10 print of your choice. I will bring a few props for creative inspiration. You'll be more relaxed and comfortable, and it will make all the difference in your photos! You'll be the envy of all your friends and family, who will wish they hadn't used that cell phone picture from last summer vacation as their holiday card.

You can also use the photos as gifts for those parents or grandparents who have everything. Not sure what to get your mom? Instead of a Shake Weight, get her a framed picture of you and your family. She'll love it. Disclaimer: a framed photo will not help her get strong, sculpted arms like a Shake Weight.

For an additional fee I can also help you design and order your holiday cards, if you want to make it really easy for yourself. The only thing I won't do is lick the envelopes.

I had a blast shooting Mike and Meredith's engagement photos. We met at Meridian Hill Park in D.C. for some photos at dusk, and then we hit U Street and Logan Circle for a few nighttime shots. Mike and Meredith were great models and they went along with all my crazy ideas. They stood in the middle of Mass Ave with traffic zooming by, posed in front of Ben's Chili Bowl, and feigned terror over an imaginary UFO attack. The fingerstaches were a nice touch, too.

I sponsored the 4th Annual Beth Whiteacre Memorial Golf Tournament on Friday, September 16, 2011 at the Laurel Hill Golf Club in Lorton, Virginia. This was my first time EVER on a golf course! I volunteered my services to take photos of the tournament and the reception and auction after the tournament.

The link to the photo gallery is here. In support of the charity, half of the proceeds from any prints or digital files ordered will go the Beth Whiteacre Memorial Fund. I have two options for digital files: you can purchase a low-resolution file with a license that allows you unlimited posting on the web (e.g., your blog, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.), or you can purchase a high-resolution file with a royalty-free personal use license that allows you to make your own prints or post it on the web. I also offer some really unique products in addition to standard prints and mugs. Check out these fun golf-themed products:

I met "Mad Dog" Madeleine on Sunday. Madeleine was a full two weeks late, can you even imagine? Her parents, Sharkie and Johann, are good friends--I've known Sharkie forever, since my grad school days at Georgetown.

Madeleine was the perfect model--she stayed awake the entire time with barely a peep. What a great sport.

As a side note, I did learn that day that when there is traffic leading onto the beltway from 95 in Maryland, it does NOT save any time to go the opposite direction, on the New Carrollton side. My "shortcut" to avoid sitting in the traffic was about 20 extra miles. You think I would know that after living in DC for 9 years.

Isaac was born on June 8 to my good friends Amy and Mark. Isaac's big sister, Isabella, slept through the entire photo shoot--a strategic decision by Amy and Mark as Isabella's larger-than-life personality could have overshadowed her baby brother! We got some great solo shots of Isaac and some tender moments with his parents loving on him. Welcome to the world, baby Isaac!